Evaluation of the effect of complementary pollination on Actinidia deliciosa 'Hayward' in northwest Portugal

The objective of this research was to study the effect of complementary pollination on kiwifruit production and quality. For 3 years, complementary application of wet or dry pollen have been done at different stages of flower opening on vines in the Portuguese regions of Entre-Douro e Minho and Beira Litoral. Commercial production data were collected and fruit quality attributes were measured at harvest. Complementary pollination did not affect fruit soluble solids content or firmness in any year, and was beneficial for fruit size and commercial production in the third year only, showing that it is important in some conditions, when natural pollination is inadequate.

The effect of calcium applications on kiwifruit quality preservation during storage

It is well known that calcium increases storage life of many fruits. This study investigated the effect of vine calcium application, as well as postharvest application on storage behaviour of 'Hayward' kiwifruit. Three applications of 0.03% CaCl2 or CaO were made in June, July and September. After harvest half of the fruit from sprayed vines were dipped in a solution of 2% CaCl2; the other fruit were untreated. All fruit were then stored at 0 degrees C and relative humidity of about 90-95%. Results for fruit of the size range 85-105 g are discussed. Kiwifruit dipped in 2% CaCl2 postharvest maintained higher firmness through storage than undipped fruit, but soluble solids content was only slightly lower after storage. This suggests that postharvest dipping of kiwifruit in 2% CaCl2 benefits storage life. The concentrations of 0.03% CaCl2 (Antistip) or 0.03% CaO (Chelal) used in vine applications seem to be too low and higher concentrations should be tried.